Past Wyoming Cowboy basketball great Flynn Robinson dead at 72

LARAMIE -- Former University of Wyoming basketball great and school Hall of Famer Flynn Robinson died Thursday in Los Angeles following a lengthy battle with cancer.

"What Kenny Sailors was to all the young kids during his era, Flynn was to us," UW Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs Kevin McKinney said.

"He was our hero and we all tried to copy his unique shot. He was the face of Wyoming basketball.

"Flynn most certainly was one of the greatest heroes in Wyoming basketball history."

Robinson, 72, was the most prolific scorer in UW history, averaging 26.2 points per game as a sophomore, 25.6 as a junior and 27.0 as a senior in becoming a three-time First Team All-Western Athletic Conference performer as well as a three-time Helms Foundation All-American selection.

The Laramie Boomerang reports that his scoring totals were accumulated before the 3-point shot.

The Elgin, Ill., native still ranks third on UW's all-time career scoring list behind Fennis Dembo and Brandon Ewing with 2,049 points. Robinson's scored his points in 78 games, while Dembo's came in 129 games and Ewing's in 126 contests.

Following his UW career, Robinson was selected in the second round of the 1965 NBA Draft, with the 15th overall pick, by the Cincinnati Royals.

Robinson went on to play seven seasons in the NBA with the Royals, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Baltimore Bullets. He played an eighth season in the now-defunct American Basketball Association (ABA) with the San Diego Conquistadors.